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December 7, 2009

The other side of unfulfilled dreams

I still remember the day when I first saw her. She wasn’t beautiful and she wasn’t bright but she had a captivating smile. She casually smiled as she passed by me. I knew she was the girl and I really wanted to make her mine. After that day, I always waited on the came place to have a look at her. The feeling that I had for her was pure and I dreamed of getting old withsome day. I shared my feelings to her friend who was my classmate. Her friend suggested that needed to wait for the right time. The right time seemed very far away and I was loosing control of my life. My assignments were always left pending and I even got summoned to the principal’s office on that.

The precise time came; her birthday. I got a small present and wished her and then we got to talk. And with time, we shared our feelings to each other and we grew inseparable. The friends called us Romeo and Juliet.

Her parents got the wind of our affairs and came to see her. (She was from a well of family). They took her away and got her admitted in another college. They threatened me not to even look at their daughter. I tried to get in tough with her but she was grounded and whenever she went out, there was always someone with her which made it impossible for me to meet her.

Later, I heard that she was sent to some college in India and I lost contact with her. Though I was disheartened, I concentrated on my studies and never lost the hope of seeing her again. Years passed and I finished my studies. I tried to find her, but her parents had sold their house and moved to another place. There was not a trace of her.

During that time, my parents found a girl for me and I married her since I could not refuse the wish of my dying mother. With time, I became a proud father of two beautiful daughters. They started going to school and the memory of my first love started fading away. I thought she might have also settled with another man.

By then, fifteen years had passed and I got transferred to another place. I went to the school to seek the admission of my daughters, when I saw her again. She was the principal of the school. She looked the same at first glance but on closer observation, I was saddened to see the painful eyes, which had seen much suffering. But she managed the smile that had me bewitched fifteen years ago. I stood at the door speechless. It took me some time to gather my nerves and say a feeble “hello”. I never muttered my courage to ask about her family life.

Later I came to know that she remained unmarried and had been waiting for me all those years. The guilt of not having faith in my love became a burden to may ailing heart.

I die everyday from my guilt while she dies everyday due to my betrayal...